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A STUDY 

IN THE HISTORY 
OF THE FLAG OF 
THE UNITED 
STATES 

□ 


By H. D. RUMMELL 

















©lb (llnrg 

A STUDY IN THE HISTORY OF THE FLAG OF 
THE UNITED STATES 


□ 

BT 

H. D. RUMMELL 

OF 

CHARLESTON LODGE, NUMBER 202 
BENEVOLENT AND PROTECTIVE ORDER OF ELKS 
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 





Published by 

THE WEST VIRGINIA ELKS ASSOCIATION 

Arch F. Dawson, President 
Jay Reefer, Secretary 
Jesse L. Kramer, Treasurer 
Brooks Fleming, Jr., Chairman 

Social & Community Welfare Committee 


1923 




COPYRIGHTED 1923 

BY 

WEST VIRGINIA ELKS ASSOCIATION 

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©C1A777951 

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Old Glory 


3 


rpO those devoted women whose lives have 
ever inspired their sons to dare greatly and 
to do mightily in the battle for the rights of a 
free people living under a free government; to 
our Mothers who, have daily exemplified at our 
family altars the virtues of love of home, love 
of country, loyalty to friends and gratitude to 
God, the corner-stones of the temple of liberty, 
this labor of love is gratefully dedicated by— 

The Author 





Old Glory 


5 


PREFACE 



'HE Benevolent and Protective Order of 


J- Elks is pledged to the upholding of the Con¬ 
stitution and laws of our common country and 
to the teaching of the virtues of patriotism so 
much and so justly lauded by the wise men of 
all times. Without creed and without dogma, 
it has opened its doors to all good men who be¬ 
lieve in a government of law by and with the 
consent of the governed. In thus broadly lay¬ 
ing the foundation for its Ritual the Order of 
Elks has made for itself an unique position in 
the field of fraternities. 

In cultivating this chosen field of effort, it 
long ago became apparent that the art of 
heraldry as exemplified in the history of our 
national emblem had been sadly neglected. No 
where was it possible to find in small compass 
the salient facts with regard to the birth and 
development of our flag. The opportunity for 
service was never more patent. 

On June 14, 1919, Charleston Lodge Number 
202, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks 
enjoyed the very great pleasure of having 
Judge Rummell as one of the speakers on its 
Flag Day Program. His address was at once 
a mental feast for thoughtful patriots and an 
oratorical effort of rare merit. Many express¬ 
ed a desire to see that patriotic message pre¬ 
served in printed form. 

These kind words bore fruit in the thought 



6 


Old Glory 


that here was an opportunity for our distinct¬ 
ively patriotic fraternity. Judge Rummell was 
requested to enlarge his oration into the scope 
of this monograph and gladly undertook the 
task imposed upon him. The West Virginia 
Elks Association enlisted the subordinate lodges 
of the Order in West Virginia in the cause. In 
due time, this united effort has resulted in plac¬ 
ing before the people of West Virginia, and of 
the United States, a study in the art of heraldry 
that will bear fruit in our national life. 

If it is “sweet and glorious to die for one’s 
country”, it is none the less so to live and labor 
for that country. Wherefore we most truly 
emulate the virtues and preserve the traditions 
of those who have died gloriously for our na¬ 
tional banner, and the graces of citizenship 
typified by it, when we give unselfishly of our 
selves to the cause of our motherland, by broad¬ 
casting the knowledge of the deeds done for 
country’s sake by her children. How greatly 
then must these pages stimulate our citizenship, 
younger and older, to emulate those virtues of 
the Constitutional Fathers which, translated 
into action, have made it possible for the United 
States of America to have both a flag and a 
history. 

R. Kemp Morton 


Charleston, West Va., May, 1923. 








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Old Glory 


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INTRODUCTION 

T HE art of heraldry is as old as the human 
race. People of all ages, barbarian and 
Christian alike, have expressed tribal and 
national traits and ideals in banners of various 
kinds. In olden times, there was contained in 
these banners some concept of the religious life 
of nations; witness the “standards’’ of the 
Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness 
and the crosses of St. Andrew and St. George 
assigned to Scotland and Britain, respectively, 
by Pope Urban II, at the time of the first cru¬ 
sade. These crosses have had some influence 
on the present form of our own flag. 

The love of the flag is a sentiment shared by 
all Americans, younger and older. The flag 
means safety and security; it means justice; it 
means liberty and opportunity. In the 
national colors, the patriot sees not merely the 
red, the white and the blue, but strength and 
honor and truth. 

While this love for the flag seems almost in¬ 
stinctive, so that young children are thrilled 
by the sight of Old Glory flying in the breeze, 
it may be strengthened and expanded by the 
knowledge of what this flag means. To be a 
good American one should know what America 
has stood for in the past and what she stands 
for today. Our flag is the symbol of our country 
and we cannot honor it as we should, unless we 
know something of its history and of the ideals 



8 


Old Glory 


that went into its making. This short story 
of the flag should do more than interest its read¬ 
ers. It should inspire them to be true Ameri¬ 
cans in every thought and purpose of their 
hearts, and in every act of their lives. 





9 


Old Glory 


FORERUNNERS OF THE FLAG 


A LTHOUGH the English flag was the flag of 
-FI- the colonies nntil the time of the Revolu¬ 
tion, the then colonists soon showed their in¬ 
dependent spirit by adopting standards of their 
own. Many of the colonies had separate flags, 
and pictures of the New England flag—a union 
flag—appeared as early as 1704. 

In the ten years of struggle that led to the 
Revolution, these insignia became very com¬ 
mon, expressing the growing discontent and 
determination of the people. Pine trees were 
a favorite device on these early ensigns, the 
strength and beauty of the pine, and the fact 
that it is an evergreen, making its selection 
very fitting. These banners bore the inscrip¬ 
tion, ‘‘An Appeal to God.” Other trees are 
pictured on certain flags under the name “ Lib¬ 
erty Tree.” 

Perhaps the favorite of all the devices was 
the rattlesnake sometimes coiled ready to 
strike, and sometimes stretching diagonally 
across the Flag. The snakes were represented 
with thirteen rattles, for the thirteen colonies. 
Some flags combined the two emblems, and 
showed a snake coiled at the foot of a pine 
CMree. Wherever the rattlesnake was used on 
a flag, there appeared the defiant motto: 
“Don’t Tread On Me.” 

Some writers of the time approve this selec¬ 
tion on the ground that the rattlesnake gives 


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warning before striking, but when it strikes it 
does so to some purpose. Yet, after giving the 
rattlesnake due credit for being the most gen- 
erous of its kind, we feel like congratulating 
~ourselves that it is not now a part of our 
emblem. 

THE THOUGHT OF UNION 

S OME of these early emblems show how the 
thought of union for defense was slowly 
taking hold of the colonies. The thirteen rat¬ 
tles expressed this idea. Some flags bore as a 
device, a hand holding thirteen arrows; and 
others showed thirteen mailed hands grasping 
a chain of thirteen links, joined in a circle as 
other expressions of the idea. 

The “Flag of the Union”, which Washing¬ 
ton first raised at Cambridge, January 2, 1776, 
and which for that reason is often called The 
Cambridge Flag” carried this idea still further. 
It consisted of thirteen stripes, alternate red 
and white, with the “King’s Colors” in the 
canton where now we have the stars. The 
“King’s Colors” were a combination of the 
crosses of St. Andrew and St. George, once the 
flag of Great Britain. “The Cambridge Flag” 
is very interesting as it shows that while the 
colonists were determined to stand together for 
their rights, they still considered themselves 
the subjects of King George. The same feel¬ 
ing is shown by certain mottoes appearing on 





Old Glory 


11 


these flags. While some bore the words, “ Lib¬ 
erty”, or, “Liberty or Death”, others were 
inscribed “ George Rex and the Liberties of 
America. ’ ’ 


A NEW CONSTELLATION 



FTER the Declaration of Independence 


-F*- severed the colonies from the Mother 
Country, the flag Washington had used at 
Cambridge was no longer appropriate, as it had 
the “King’s Colors”, in the canton. But it was 
not for some time after this event that Con¬ 
gress decided on a flag worthy of the new 
nation. The birthday of the flag is almost a 
year after the birthday of the nation. On June 
14, 1777, the anniversary of which date is now 
observed as Flag Day, the Congress adopted 
this resolution: 

“Resolved that the flag of the thirteen United 
States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and 
white; that the union be thirteen stars, white 
in a blue field, representing a new constel¬ 
lation.” 

While the records do not show that there was 
any discussion of this design, we may be sure 
that such an important matter was not settled 
without proper deliberation. The words “a 
new constellation” suggest that the Congress 
fully appreciated the dignified and beautiful 
idea of using the stars as symbols of the 
States. And surely our Constitutional Fathers 



Old Glory 


12 


were not insensible to the auguries of liberty 
under the law contained in the appearance of 
this new constellation in the firmament of gov- 
ernments. 

The design of Old Glory is so beautiful that 
it is easy to see why the Congress preferred it 
to any other. Who first suggested it and how 
he came to do so, we do not know. Some think 
the striped flag of the Netherlands was the an¬ 
cestress of our flag. A favorite theory is that 
the design was suggested by Washington’s 
coat-of-arms which contained both stars and 
stripes. In “The Cambridge Flag” the colo¬ 
nies were represented by thirteen stripes, alter¬ 
nate red and white. Even earlier in 1775, the 
standard of the Philadelphia Light Horse 
Troop, had in the upper corner next to the staff, 
thirteen stripes in blue and silver. It is not 
strange that, with these models before their 
eyes, those who planned the new nation’s flag 
should have made use of the stripes. 

THE STARS OP THE FLAG 

R HODE Island claims credit for the stars on 
the flag, for though this state did not have 
an official flag until 1787, during the Revolution 
its troops carried a white standard in the centre 
of which was a blue anchor under the word 
“Hope”, and on a blue canton were thirteen 
white stars. If this flag was in use before the 
United States flag was designed, it would natur- 




Old Glory 


13 


ally have suggested the introduction of stars 
into the nation’s flag. 

In the first flag, the stars were arranged in a 
circle, in the blue field, which gave a very pleas¬ 
ing effect, and had an impressive meaning too, 
for the circle signifies eternity. Not all the 
early flags, however, followed this arrangement. 
In some flags, twelve stars formed a circle about 
the thirteenth at the centre. 

Wherever the inspiration came from, the re¬ 
sult is most satisfactory. It would be difficult 
to make a real American believe that prejudice 
has anything to do with his certainty that his 
pennon is the most beautiful in the world. The 
beautiful pageantry of its colors is not equalled 
elsewhere in all the history of the art of her¬ 
aldry. 

The Congress has never given any directions 
as to the arrangement of the stars on the blue 
field, but it is the custom to place them in 
straight lines. In our present flag there are 
six rows of stars, eight in a row, but no star 
represents any particular State. 

THE STORY OF BETSY ROSS 

W HETHER or not Betsy Ross had the honor 
of making the first ensign of the United 
States is a debated question. According to the 
tradition, in May or June of 1776, a committee 
of three, Washington, Robert Norris and 
George Ross, called on Mrs. Ross, a Philadel- 



Old Glory 


14 


phia Quakeress, to commission her to make a 
ltag from a rough design they brought with 
them. The story goes that the stars in this de¬ 
sign were six-pointed, as they are in the coins of 
the period, and Mrs. Ross suggested using the 
five-pointed star. She cut one out of paper to 
show its superiority, and the committee agreed 
with her suggestion. 

The diaries and letters of these three men 
make no reference to this visit, but on the 
other hand, a number of Mrs. Ross’ descendants 
testified to having heard from her own lips the 
recital of how she made this flag. The weak 
point in the story is, that while this interview 
was supposed to have occurred before the Dec¬ 
laration of Independence, the Congress did not 
officially decide on the form of the flag till June, 
1777. In the meantime, other flags were in 
use. It should be remembered, however, that 
in those troubled days the Congress had many 
important matters to attend to beside selecting 
a flag, and the members may have thought this 
decision could be postponed more safely than 
could some other things. Even ip peace times 
the Congress is often too deliberate to please 
the impatient. 

It is certain that there was a Betsy Ross, who 
made flags, for an old voucher is still in exist¬ 
ence ordering that she be paid for such work. 
Even those who question her claim to having 
made the first national emblem have no other 
candidate to suggest for the honor. 






















































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The historian may have his doubts about 
Betsy Ross, but the public has none. Her 
name is known to every school child in America, 
and the quaint little house on Arch Street, Phil¬ 
adelphia, where she lived and worked, is a pat¬ 
riotic shrine visited by thousands each year. 

THE FIRST FLAG UNDER FIRE 

T HE first of the Stars and Stripes to be under 
fire was certainly not as beautiful as the 
flags we are accustomed to see, but it deserves 
honorable mention for all that. Fort Schuyler, 
which stood on the present site of Rome, New 
York, was attacked by a force of British and 
Indians on August 2, 1777. The same day re¬ 
inforcements arrived bringing not only ammu¬ 
nition and provision, but an account of the flag 
resolution enacted by Congress in June. At 
once the brave defenders of the fort set to work 
to make a flag according to these specifications. 
The soldiers’ shirts furnished material for the 
white stripes, and the petticoat of the wife of 
one of the private soldiers provided the neces¬ 
sary red. The blue field of the union was cut 
from a blue cloth coat belonging to Captain 
Abraham Swartout, a captain in the garrison. 
Betsy Ross herself could hardly have worked 
more expeditiously, for by nightfall on the third 
of August the flag was flying and it continued 
to fly till the siege was raised about three weeks 
later. John Fiske, the great historian, says 



16 


Old Glory 


this was the first Stars and Stripes ever hoisted. 

But the Fort Schuyler flag won its honor by 
a narrow margin. It is claimed that the new 
ensign was used in a battle near Wilmington 
about a month later. The Stars and Stripes 
flew at the battle of Brandywine, September 11, 
1777, and at Germantown, October 4th. They 
saw Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga, October 
17th, 1777.' 

The first appearance of the Stars and Stripes 
in a sea action was on September 4, 1777, be¬ 
tween the Raleigh and a British fleet two days 
out from Portsmouth, Maine. The engagement 
resulted in a victory for the new flag, a promise 
of many victories to come. 

THE STARS AND STRIPES RECOGNIZED 

T HE first salute ever given the Stars and 
Stripes by a foreign power was given early 
in 1778, to the flag of the Ranger, commanded 
by John Paul Jones. In his letter to the Naval 
Committee, Jones gives a spirited account of 
the event. He had convoyed some American 
vessels to France and placed them under the 
protection of the French fleet. After arriving 
off Quiberon Bay, he asked the French admiral 
if he would return a salute. The officer ex¬ 
plained that to the flag of a republic he was re¬ 
quired to return four guns less than the salute 
given. At the time France was a monarchy, 
and evidently wished republics to understand 



Old Glory 


17 


that they were a little inferior. Jones, who 
had, as he says, “demanded gnn for gun”, was 
not quite satisfied with this answer at first, but 
when he had assured himself that the admiral 
would not he allowed to do differently, he decid¬ 
ed to accept his offer, as his salute would really 
be an acknowledgment of American independ¬ 
ence. Accordingly he gave a salute of thirteen 
guns which was returned with nine. 

An early writer says that the Ranger’s flag 
was one made by the girls of Portsmouth, New 
Hampshire, 4 ‘ from slices of their best silk 
gowns.” The white stripes, according to this 
writer, were cut from her bridal gown by a 
bride of only a few months. The story is not as 
easy to prove as that of the Port Schuyler flag, 
but at least we can be sure that the girls of 
Portsmouth were as ready to sacrifice their silk 
gowns as the soldier’s wife was to give her red 
petticoat for the making of Old Glory. 

THE FLAG OF THE BON HOMME 
RICHARD 

S OME writers claim that the Ranger’s flag, 
honored by receiving the first salute ever 
paid the Stars and Stripes by any foreign 
power, was the same that afterwards flew from 
the mast of the Bon Homme Richard, in the 
most thrilling sea fight of history. No fiction 
writer ever imagined a more stirring conflict 
than that between the British frigate, Serapis, 



18 


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and the Richard, Jones’ ship. That battle in 
the moonlight, continuing till both ships were 
in a sinking condition, and the Serapis finally 
struck her colors, made the name of John Paul 
Jones immortal. 

According to some authorities the Rich¬ 
ard sank with her flag flying. In Buell’s life of 
Jones he represents the hero as saying that he 
gave as a winding sheet to his immortal dead, 
the flag they had so desperately defended. A 
manuscript written in 1810—though not pub¬ 
lished until this century—by John Kilby, quar¬ 
ter gunner of the Richard, tells the same story. 

On the other hand, there is a flag now in the 
possession of the United States Government 
which is claimed to be the very flag the Richard 
flew in that memorable fight. 

According to this story, some days before his 
engagement with the Serapis, Jones captured a 
British war ship, and her prize, the Kitty. The 
crew of the Kitty had been put in irons, and 
when released, they volunteered for service on 
the Richard. Among them was a young man 
named James Stafford and when during the bat¬ 
tle a few days later, the flag of the Richard was 
shot away, Stafford leaped into the sea to save 
it. The rescued flag, according to this story, 
was transferred to the conquered Serapis, along 
with the remnant of Jones’ crew, and later to 
the Alliance, when Jones took command of that 
vessel. Several years later the flag was pre- 




Old Glory 


19 


sented to Stafford by the Marine Committee in 
deserved recognition of his gallant conduct. 

In support of this story the Stafford family 
have preserved an old letter, dated December 
13, 1784, informing Mr. Stafford of the honor 
done him and signed by the Secretary of the 
Marine Committee. 

This flag was given to the government in 
1898, and is a very interesting old relic, even 
though it is hard to decide whether it was the 
Richard’s flag or not. It is a rather small flag 
for the purpose, made of bunting, and the most 
puzzling thing about it is that it has only twelve 
stars. As the fight between the Richard and the 
Serapis did not take place until 1799, there 
seems no reason for leaving out one star, un¬ 
less, as someone has suggested, those who made 
it found the odd star hard to include in a sym¬ 
metrical arrangement, and for that reason, 
omitted it. 

THE FLAG MOST HONORED 

F OR a time, as will be explained later, the 
United States flag had fifteen stripes, and 
it was this enlarged flag which has the honor 
of having inspired the Star Spangled Banner, 
regarded as our national anthem. The story of 
how this song came to be written is one of the 
most thrilling in our history. In 1812 Great 
Britain and the United States again declared 
war, and in 1814, a British fleet sailed up the 



20 


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Chesapeake Bay to capture Washington and 
Baltimore. This fleet took the capital, burning 
all the public buildings except the Patent Office, 
and then proceeded down the Potomac River 
and up the Bay toward Baltimore. 

It was while the British fleet was anchored in 
the Bay below the fort guarding the city that 
brands Scott Key, a Maryland lawyer, left 
Baltimore on an errand to the English Admiral. 
A Maryland gentleman, Dr. Beanes, who had 
been taken prisoner, was being held on one of 
the British ships, and there were rumors that 
he was to be hanged at the yard arm. Key 
hoped to arrange for his release. Accompanied 
by a friend and in a small vessel, the Minden, 
Key sailed down the Patapsco River under a flag 
of truce. The Americans were politely re¬ 
ceived by the Admiral who entertained them 
at dinner, and ordered the release of the pris¬ 
oner. Later the three Americans were placed 
on the Minden, with a guard of English marines 
to keep them from going ashore, as Baltimore 
and Fort McHenry were to be bombarded im¬ 
mediately. 

On the morning of September 13th the attack 
began. It continued all day and far into the 
night. As long as the daylight lasted the Amer¬ 
icans from the deck of their small vessel, watch¬ 
ed the flag floating over the fort. After dark¬ 
ness fell they were dependent on the lights of 
the rockets and bursting bombs, to assure them¬ 
selves that the flag was still flying in the breeze, 



Old Glory 


21 


Late in the night the firing suddenly ceased. 
The anxious watchers had no way of knowing 
whether the fort had surrendered or the attack 
had failed. They could only wait for the morn¬ 
ing. When it became light enough to distin¬ 
guish distant objects, with a joy beyond words 
they saw that the Star-Spangled Banner still 
floated over Fort McHenry. Later in the day 
they were informed that the attack had failed 
and were allowed to go where they wished. 

The ballad every school boy and girl knows 
so well, was inspired by those hours of anxious 
watching. Many of the lines occurred to Mr. 
Key during the night, and he jotted them down 
on the back of a letter in his pocket, that he 
might not forget them. After reaching Balti¬ 
more he wrote out the entire poem in its pres¬ 
ent form. The next morning he showed it to 
some friends who were so pleased with it that 
it was immediately printed in handbill form 
and distributed all over town. The people al¬ 
most in a frenzy of patriotism, because of the 
stirring events of the past few days, welcomed 
the poem enthusiastically. Set to music, it 
swept the country. It has been called the most 
precious relic of the war of 1812. While its 
having been written to commemorate one par¬ 
ticular event may make it not quite suitable for 
a national anthem, yet the fact that it came 
straight from the writer’s heart has given it an 
appeal to other hearts, and no song written 
since that day has been able to supplant it. 



22 


Old Glory 


The flag Key saw by the glare of the rockets 
that terrible night is still in existence and is 
carefully preserved at the National Museum in 
Washington. It is somewhat unsymmetrical, 
as it was made very wide, on account of the fif¬ 
teen stripes, and was shortened when part was 
shot away, so that now it comes very near to 
being square. It has been carefully mended, 
but one of the stars is missing. It is said that 
this star was cut out and sent to President Lin¬ 
coln. There is so much uncertainty as to many 
of the old flags that it is quite a relief to know 
without a shadow of a doubt, that this flag is 
just what it claims to be. 

THE FLAG IN BATTLE 

T HOUGH the Stars and Stripes were carried 
in a number of Revolutionary battles, and 
were flown by the ships of that period, it was 
some time before the Nation's flag was officially 
carried by the troops in battle. Not until the 
Mexican war did this become general, but since 
that time our soldiers engaging in battle, have 
been inspired by the sight of the flag. 

Many of the States carefully preserved the 
tattered flags brought back by their troops from 
the war between the States. The honor of car¬ 
rying the colors was a dangerous one, and many 
a standard was passed from hand to hand as 
bearer after bearer fell wounded and dying. 
To rescue the colors men performed feats of 




Old Glory 


S3 


heroism that cannot be surpassed in the records 
of warfare. 


CIVIL WAR FLAGS 



HERE are many interesting flag stories in 


J- connection with the war between the states. 
The flag of Fort Schuyler is brought to mind by 
the story of a flag made by some soldiers in Lib¬ 
by Prison. They wished to celebrate the 
Fourth of July and did not see how this was 
possible without a flag. But, when they began 
to compare notes, one man had a white shirt, 
and another a red one, and still another a blue 
blouse. Though they were not very well off for 
clothes, they were glad to contribute what they 
had for so worthy a cause. And though this 
flag may not have been beautiful to the eye, if 
we take into account the patriotism that went 
into its making, we feel sure it would have held 
its own with any flag that ever floated. 

The most celebrated flag story of this war is 
that which the poet Whittier immortalized in 
“Barbara Freitchie.” This poem has caused 
a great deal of discussion, some critics claiming 
that the incidents related never happened and 
could not have happened, but Whittier himself 
believed that he had abundant evidence that the 
story was true. Yet, those who know the his¬ 
tory of Stonewall Jackson will And it hard to 
believe that he ordered, or permitted, his troops 
to fire on an yflag held aloft by a woman. 



24 


Old Glory 


According to the poet’s informants, when 
Stonewall Jackson’s troops entered Frederick, 
Maryland, they found it like a deserted village. 
The people had closed their homes and were 
quaking back of the shutters. The union flag 
had disappeared from view. But as the men 
marched along the silent streets, they came to a 
house from whose attic window a union flag 
was flying. 

The troops were halted and an order given to 
fire. The volley broke the flag staff, whereupon 
Barbara Freitchie, a woman in her ninety- 
seventh year, seized the broken staff and kept 
the flag from falling. She leaned from the 
window waving the flag and crying, “Fire at 
this old head then, boys. It is not more vener¬ 
able than your country’s flag. ’ ’ The story goes 
that the chivalrous Southern general, touched 
by her courage, gave orders that she was not to 
be molested, and while the Confederate troops 
occupied the town, the riddled flag waved from 
the attic window. 

THE FLAG IN THE WAR WITH SPAIN 

T HE war with Spain was a short one, but it 
added to the glories of the American flag. 
The heroism and spirit of the men engaged in 
that war have never been excelled in any war. 
And when some very daring project was under 
consideration, as when Hobson planned to bot¬ 
tle up the Spanish fleet in Santiago harbor, by 





Old Glory 


25 


sinking a vessel in the channel, the men volun¬ 
teered in such numbers that it was necessary to 
choose them by lot. Out of the eight who finally 
undertook the feat referred to, from which it 
seemed impossible that any would return alive, 
one was a stowaway. 

From the other side of the world came an in¬ 
teresting flag story in connection with this war. 
Admiral Dewey’s destruction of the Spanish 
fleet in Manila Bay was one of the most remark¬ 
able victories ever won under the Stars and 
Stripes, for he had no base of supplies and no 
armored ships. But paying no heed to the 
mines which protected the harbor, he entered 
and sank the entire Spanish fleet without the 
loss of a single man. 

This was May 1, 1898, and it was not till the 
next August that the city of Manila was cap¬ 
tured, as Dewey waited for reinforcements. 
But on August 13th the attack was made, and 
before noon the city surrendered. But for all 
that, as the hours went by Admiral Dewey could 
see from his flag-ship that the Spanish flag was 
still flying from the fortress. 

At length feeling sure that the matter had 
been overlooked by the army officers, the Admi¬ 
ral took the largest flag in his ship and sent one 
of his men ashore with it. The fortress was 
full of Spanish soldiers still armed, but they did 
not attempt to interfere with the Admiral’s 
messenger. When the sun set over the con- 



2b Old Glory _ 

qnered city, the Stars and Stripes were flying 
from the citadel. 

THE FLAG IN THE WORLD WAR 

O UR flag never meant so much to so many 
people as in the world war. To our allies, 
war-weary and almost exhausted, the sight of 
the Stars and Stripes gave new strength and 
courage. To our enemies who refused to be¬ 
lieve that America would be drawn into the 
struggle, it meant the downfall of their hopes. 
One of the most impressive events in our his¬ 
tory was when the American flag was carried 
into St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, to be pre¬ 
served there among the banners of the allied 
nations, fighting for the liberties of the world. 

The English soldier poet, Rupert Brooke, 
said in one of his poems: 

“If I should die, think only this of me 
That there’s some corner of a foreign field 
That is forever England.” 

And we understand what he meant when we 
think of the graves of American soldiers in 
France. Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood 
must ever rank with Bunker Hill and Gettys¬ 
burg. 





Old Glory 


27 


THE SUN NEVER SETS ON OUR FLAG 

] T is not alone in war that our flag has won 
honors. It has sailed all seas. It has been 
carried to little known parts of the world. It 
has been planted on the tops of mountains which 
were thought impossible to climb. But its 
greatest triumph in this line was when Peary 
raised it at the North Pole. For hundreds of 
years the adventurous nations of the earth had 
tried to reach this point, had spent millions in 
the endeavor, and had failed. 

Peary’s first expedition in search of the Pole 
lasted four years, and he did not get nearer to 
his destination than 343 miles. In the second 
expedition in 1906, he would probably have suc¬ 
ceeded in reaching the Pole had it not been for 
furious winds which opened new leads in the ice 
and came near bringing his career to an un¬ 
timely end. On the third expedition he was 
successful and planted the flag on the spot 
which had been his goal since his young man¬ 
hood. 

The flag Peary left at the Pole was one he 
had taken with him on each expedition, and it 
pot only showed signs of service, but was some¬ 
what dilapidated, as he had left a fragment of 
it at each of his “Furtherest Norths.” Like 
many another battered flag, its very scars 
added to its glory. 

Though the discovery of the Pole meant 
much to our flag, our flag does not mean much 



28 


Old Glory 


to the Pole. But there are many distant points 
of the earth happier and better, because the 
“flag of the free” floats over them. The say¬ 
ing that the sun never sets on British posses¬ 
sions could be applied with equal truth to the 
territory under the protection of the Stars and 
Stripes. Outside the boundaries of the United 
States are Alaska and Hawaii, the Canal Zone, 
the Phillippines, a number of Pacific islands, in¬ 
cluding Guam, American Samoa, Wake and 
others, the Virgin Islands in the Carribean Sea, 
and Porto Rico. 

CHANGES IN THE FLAG 

A FTER Vermont and Kentucky entered the 
union, a change was made in the flag. In 
order to give the new comers the same honors 
that had been given the thirteen original states, 
the Congress passed a resolution in 1794 add¬ 
ing two stripes and two stars to the flag. For 
nearly a quarter of a century our flag had fif¬ 
teen stripes, with fifteen stars in the union. 

But after a number of new states had been 
admitted, it became clear to everyone that it 
would not do to add a stripe for each addition 
to the family. Accordingly, the flag returned 
to its original thirteen stripes, and the Con¬ 
gress decided that on the admission of each 
new state, a new star should be added in the 
union, the addition to be made on the Fourth of 
July following the State’s admission to the 




Old Glory 


29 


sisterhood of states. Since 1818 when the flag 
lost two stripes in the way described, its ap¬ 
pearance has changed only slightly, for the dif¬ 
ference in the number of stars is hardly notice¬ 
able when the flag is afloat. But the change is 
apparent when we put a modern flag beside a 
flag of the old days. Since 1912, there has been 
no change in the number of stars, forty-eight 
arranged in six rows. During the Spanish- 
American war the flag had forty-five stars, dur¬ 
ing the Civil war only thirty-five, and at the 
time of the Mexican war only twenty-nine. 
During the war of 1812, there were fifteen stars 
in the flag, though they did not correctly rep¬ 
resent the number of states. 

OLD GLORY 

C APTAIN William Driver, a skipper of 
Salem, Massachusetts, is credited with 
having bestowed the name “Old Glory” upon 
his country’s flag. But James Whitcomb Riley 
in his poem, “The Name of Old Glory” gives 
a poetic explanation. He represents himself 
as asking the flag how it came by that name, 
and finally the old banner fluttered out this 
answer: 



30 


Old Glory 


11 And it spoke with a shake of the voice and it said, 
By the driven snow-white and the living blood-red 
Of my bars and their heaven of stars overhead 
By the symbol conjoined of them all, skyward cast 
As I float from the steeple or flap at the mast 
Or droop o ’er the sod where the long grasses nod, 

My name is as old as the glory of God 
—So I came by the name of Old Glory.” 

It may surprise some to know that our flag is 
rightly called OLD Glory, because it is older 
than the flags of much older nations. The old 
English flag was a white banner with a red 
cross, the cross of St. George, but in 1606, the 
cross of St. Andrew was united with it as a 
sign of the union between England and Scot¬ 
land, and this was the English flag at the time 
of the Revolution. In 1801 the cross of St. Pat¬ 
rick was added to the flag, so that the modern 
British flag is nearly a quarter of a century 
younger than ours. The French tri-color came 
into existence during the French Revolution in 
1793. The flags of Italy and Spain are younger 
than ours, and as for the flags of most Euro¬ 
pean nations at the present time, they are mere 
infants compared with the Stars and Stripes. 
In point of years, ours is one of the most vener¬ 
able of flags. 

But a flag may be old without being glorious 
and is is the second word in that title which 
should interest us most. The flag is glorious 
because good and brave men and women have 

































































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DOm TRtAO on VA^. 


Gadsden Flag 






Old Glory 


31 


made it so. For as Secretary Lane said in his 
Flag Day talk in 1914, the flag is what we make 
it, and nothing more. The flag of a nation of 
cowards and shirks would be a poor thing, no 
matter what fine fabrics and rich colors went 
to fashion it. 

Our fathers made the flag glorious by splen¬ 
did courage and sacrifice, by honest work and 
unfaltering faith. And it is for us to isay 
whether, in these coming years, its glory shall 
grow brighter or shall fade. 

THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE 

C OLORS have a meaning, and the colors in 
our flag have just the meaning we should 
wish. Red is the color of courage, and the 
history of our country is a record of courage 
from the days of the early colonists, who put 
the broad Atlantic between them and civiliza¬ 
tion. But American young people need to re¬ 
member that the courage to say no, the cour¬ 
age to stand alone, the courage to bear ridicule 
without flinching is as necessary in this Re¬ 
public as the courage that carries the soldier 
over the top. 

White is the color of purity. It is our boast 
that there is no stain on our flag, and a poet 
has written: 


“Purity’s prayer for it 
Kept it so white.” 



32 


Old Glory 


Yet no flag is purer than the Nation it stands 
for, and every stain on our national life is a 
stain on its whiteness. We must think clean 
thoughts, speak clean words, and live clean 
lives, to keep our flag white. 

Bine is the color of loyalty. When we say 
“true blue” we have said it all. The bine of 
the flag should inspire those living under its 
protection with the resolve to be true to their 
own best selves, true to their country, and true 
to their God. 

RULES RELATING TO THE FLAG 

I T HAS not been found necessary in America 
to pass many laws regulating the treatment 
of the flag, for there is little danger that those 
who love it and are proud of it will fail to treat 
it with proper respect. The thoughtless need 
only to have their attention called to their mis¬ 
takes and they will at once correct them. The 
Army and Navy have very strict rules govern¬ 
ing the handling of the flag and from these and 
from the regulations of the patriotic societies, 
we may learn the right and the wrong way of 
reverencing the flag. It is not only important 
that it should be handled in a respectful man¬ 
ner, but also that there should be uniformity 
of method in dealing with the emblem of our 
Country. While some of the requirements 
might seem unnecessary at first thought, more 
careful reflection will show that they all help 



Old Glory 


33 


to foster the spirit of reverence. The following 
suggestions will cover most cases: 

1. The proper way to display the flag is on 

a flag staff. 

2. In raising the flag on a staff, it should be 

unfurled before it is hoisted to the top. 

3. The flag should always be raised or lowered 

by hand. (Any labor-saving device is 
out of order). 

4. When lowered the flag should never be al¬ 

lowed to touch the ground, the floor, or 
the deck of a ship. 

5. When the flag is placed at half mast, it 

must first be raised to the top and then 
lowered. And when lowered from half 
mast, it must first be raised to the top. 

6. When the flag is used as a decoration, in¬ 

side or outside of buildings, it should 
hang flat, the union of stars toward the 
east or the north. 

7. The flag should never lie flat. It should 

not be draped or knotted or used to 
cover a table or desk. The only thing 
that can, with propriety, be laid on the 
flag is the Bible, signifying the submis¬ 
sion of the Nation to God. 

8. The flag should not be displayed after it 

becomes soiled or worn. If it cannot be 
cleaned or mended, it should be burned, 
and this should be done in private and 
with all respect. 




34 


Old Glory 


9. At the dedication of statutes or other 
memorials, the flag is often used as a 
covering until the time of the unveiling. 
When raised from the memorial, the flag 
should never be allowed to drop. If pos¬ 
sible, it should be raised on a staff,. to 
float overhead during the closing 
exercises. 

10. When used with other emblems such as 

state flags, city flags or college flags, the 
Stars and Stripes must always have the 
place of honor. If crossed with another 
flag, it must be on the right, and this also 
must be its position when carried in a 
procession. 

11. The flag cannot be displayed above the 

flag of any nation with which it is at 
peace as this is regarded as an insult, 

12. The flag should never be displayed with 
the union below. Only vessels in danger 
at sea are allowed to fly the flag upside 
down, as a signal of distress. 

13. The school flag should be raised at the 

opening of school in the morning, and 
lowered when school closes for the day. 

14. In religious services the Church flag has 

the place of honor. In the navy during 
the Sunday services, it is hoisted above 
the Stars and Stripes, and this is the 
only exception permitted. 




Old Glory 


35 


15. Do not drive a nail through, or in any way 

cut the flag. Keep it as unsullied as your 
honor. 

16. It is the unwritten law in the Navy that 

the flag is never to be washed, as it is 
considered immaculate. 

17. The flag should be displayed on Memorial 

Day at half staff until noon. Then raised 
to peak or top of staff until sunset. 

18. When the flag is raised at ceremonies, all 

present should stand at attention and 
salute with right hand to forehead over 
right eye. 

19. Never allow the flag to trail or lay upon 

the ground nor should it be left out over 
night or displayed outside in stormy 
weather. 

20. When the flag is passing on parade or re¬ 

view, the spectator, man or boy, should 
uncover and stand, or if seated, arise 
and uncover. 

21. When the “Star Spangled Banner” is 
played or sung, all should rise and stand 
until the ending. You should face the 
musicians or the singers. 

THE DISPLAY OF THE FLAG! 

W HEN and where the flag should be dis¬ 
played is a question in which all good 
Americans are interested, and what follows 



36 


Old Glory 


will answer questions that must have occurred 
to many. 

1. There are only three buildings in the 
United States over which the flag is required 
to fly day and night, the year around. These 
three are the National Capitol—east and west 
fronts—and the office buildings of the Senate 
and the House of Representatives. These flags 
are frequently replaced by new ones, as the 
wind whips them to pieces in a few weeks. 

2. When the Congress is in session flags fly 
on the north and south wings of the capitol. 
These flags are raised at the lopening, and 
lowered at the close of each day’s session. 

3. The flag floats over the White House 
from sunrise to sunset, when the President is 
there. 

4. A large flag continually floats over the 
grave of Francis Scott Key, at Frederick, 
Maryland. It is taken down only to replace it 
by a new one. 

5. The flag should be displayed on all pub¬ 
lic buildings on the following anniversaries: 


Lincoln’s Birthday 
Washington’s Birthday 
Memorial Bay 
Flag Day 
Independence Day 
Armistice Day 


Feb. 12th. 
Feb. 22nd. 
May 30th. 
June 14th. 
July 4th. 
Nov. 11th. 


On these days thousands of flags are displayed 
on private homes and places of business, and 




Old Glory 


37 


the custom should become general. It is a 
beautiful, silent pledge of loyalty, and helps 
to strengthen our love of country. 

6. In addition to the days mentioned which 
are observed by the nation as a whole, many 
of the states have days held in especial honor 
because of some event in the state’s history. 
Massachusetts, for example, observes June 
17th, the anniversary of the battle of Bunker 
Hill, and Louisiana, January 8th, the anniver¬ 
sary of the battle of New Orleans. State pride 
should show itself by a general display of flags 
on such state holidays. 

7. The flag at half staff—or half mast—is a 
sign of mourning. On Memorial Day the flag 
is displayed at half staff from sunrise until 
noon, and then raised to full staff until lowered 
at sunset. When a prominent public official 
dies, the flags are kept at half staff for thirty 
days. 

Half staff means lowering the flag about its 
own width from the top of the staff. As gen¬ 
erally observed, however, it is placed much 
further down on the staff. 

8. Though there is no federal law requiring 
it, it is customary to raise the flag every morn¬ 
ing over post-offices, custom houses, and pub¬ 
lic schools. Many of the states have laws re¬ 
quiring the display of the flag on public school 
buildings, and some require that on election day 
flags be displayed on every voting place during 
the hours when the polls are open. 



38 


Old Glory 


9. During the World War, the flag was 
placed in many of the churches and it is to be 
hoped that the'custom will continue, for patriot¬ 
ism and religion should go hand in hand.. 

10. The flag is used as a pall in military 
funerals and small flags serve as markers for 
soldiers’ graves. 

DESECRATION OF THE FLAG 

T HERE is a United States law forbidding 
the use of the flag for a trade mark, or 
placing upon it pictures, words, or marks of 
any kind, for advertising or any other pur¬ 
pose. There are fines for disregarding this 
law. To show hostility to the flag by mutilating 
it or trampling upon it is more severely 
punished. 

Good citizens are not likely to desecrate the 
flag in either of these ways, but sometimes 
through thoughtlessness, they show a lack of 
respect which almost amounts to desecration. 
It is proper to use the flag for decorative pur¬ 
poses, provided it is always treated with re¬ 
spect and reverence, but when festoons or cov¬ 
erings are desired, the proper thing to use is 
red, white and blue bunting. 

A few years ago a flag was frequently used 
for pillow covers and for similar purposes, but 
while those who made use of it probably in¬ 
tended no disrespect, it was clearly most un¬ 
fitting. There are few Americans at the pres- 


















» 


















































































Liberty Tree 
Flag 1776 


^ i 


Old Glory 


39 


ent time so thoughtless as to need to be warned 
against using our country’s emblem in any such 
fashion. 

SALUTING THE FLAG IN SCHOOL 

S ALUTING the flag has in late years come 
to be a familiar part of the school program, 
as this is thought to be a practical way of learn¬ 
ing that reverence for the flag which is so nec¬ 
essary to patriotism. Of course some pupils 
do not profit by it. Those who give the salute 
mechanically, and repeat the pledge without 
thinking of its meaning, are not any more 
patriotic when they finish than when they be¬ 
gan. But most young people enter earnestly 
and thoughtfully into the spirit of the salute 
and by it are helped to become better citizens. 
For no one can repeat the pledge of loyalty 
and think of what he is saying without becom¬ 
ing more careful in regard to his life. 

The ceremony of saluting the flag in school 
is generally carried out in this manner. At a 
given signal all the pupils stand, while the one 
appointed to do so brings the flag to the front 
of the room. Then all together the pupils bring 
the right hand open, palm down, up to the fore¬ 
head, the thumb just touching the eyebrow. 
In this position they begin repeating this 
pledge: 

“I pledge allegiance to my Flag, and to the 



40 


Old Glory 


Republic for which it stands—one nation, in¬ 
divisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.” 

At the words “to my Flag”, the right hand 
is extended until it points to the flag, and is held 
thus until the pledge is finished, when the arm 
drops to the side. 

In some schools the silent salute, such as is 
given by soldiers and sailors, is also made use 
of. But the Pledge of Allegiance should be 
given so often that every school boy and school 
girl will be thoroughly familiar with it. 

The small children in the primary grades are 
allowed to use in place of the pledge just given, 
this simpler one: 

‘ ‘ I give my head and my heart to God and my 
Country, one country, one language, one flag.” 

Some schools make an interesting ceremony 
of raising the flag on the school flag-staff. When 
the flag is about to be hoisted, before the ses¬ 
sion of school begins, the bugle call is given and 
every pupil, no matter what he or she may be 
doing, stands at salute till the flag is up. 

Just here it may be said that the pupils who 
salute the flag in school should learn thereby 
to treat it with proper respect whenever they 
see it. The honor our soldiers and sailors show 
the flag sets a good example for us all. 




Old Glory 


41 


THE AMERICAN’S CREED 

T N CONNECTION with patriotic exercises 

in schools, it is well to make use of the 
American’s Creed which in April, 1918 , in a 
general competition, was awarded a prize for 
being the best expression of the faith and ideals 
of America. The creed, written by William 
Tyler Page, of Friendship Heights, Maryland 
should he familiar to all Americans, young and 
old, learned not only “by rote” but “by heart.” 
The sentiment is true to our best traditions. 

“I believe in the United States of America, 
as a government of the people, by the people, 
for the people; whose just powers are derived 
from the consent of the governed; a democracy 
in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sov¬ 
ereign States; a perfect union, one and insepa¬ 
rable; established upon those principles of 
freedom, equality, justice and humanity for 
which American patriots sacrificed their lives 
and fortunes.” 

“I therefore believe it is my duty to my 
country to love it; to support its constitution; 
to obey its laws; to respect its flag; and to de¬ 
fend it against all enemies.” 





42 


Old Glory 


THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER 

Oh! say can you see by the dawn’s early light, 

What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming, 
Whose broad stripes and fbright stars thro jthe perilous flight, 
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? 
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, 

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there! 

Oh! say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave 

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave? 

On the shore dimly seen through the mist of the deep, 
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes, 
What is that which the breeze o’er the towering steep, 

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? 

Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam, 

In full glory reflected now shines in the stream; 

*Tis the star-spangled banner, Oh! long may it wave 
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave. 

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore, 

’Mid the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion, 

A home and a country they’d leave us no more? 

Their blood has washed out ipieir flouRCoqtstep’s (pollution 
No refuge could save the hireling and slave 
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave, 

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave 
O’er the land cf the free and the home of the brave. 

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand, 

Between their loved home and war’s desolation; 

Blest with victory and peace, may the Heaven-rescued land 
Praise the Power that made and preserved us a nation. 
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, 

And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.” 

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave 
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave. 

—Francis Scott Key, Sept. 14, 1814. 






Old Glory 


43 


THE AMERICAN FLAG 

When Freedom, from her mountain height, 
Unfurled her standard to the air, 

She tore the azure robe of night, 

And set the stars of glory there; 

She mingled with its gorgeous dyes 
The milky baldric of the skies 
And striped its pure celestial white 
With sprinklings of the morning light; 
Then from his mansion in the sun, 

She called her eagle bearer down, 

And gave into his mighty hand 
The symbol of her chosen land. 

Majestic monarch of the cloud; 

Who rear’st aloft thy regal form, 

To hear the tempest trumpings loud, 

And see the lightning-lances driven, 

When stride the warriors of the storm 
And rolls the thunder-drum of heaven, 
Child of the sun; To’ thee ’tis given 
To guard the banner of the free, 

To hover in the sulphur smoke, 

To ward away the battle stroke, 

And bid its blendings shine afar 
Like rainbows on the clouds of war, 

The harbingers of victory. 

Flag of the brave; Thy folds shall fly 
The sign of hope and triumph high; 

When speaks the signal trumpet tone 
And the long line comes gleaming on 
(Ere yet the life-blood warm and wet 
Has dimmed the glistening bayonet,) 

Each soldier eye shall brightly turn, 

To where thy sky-born glories burn, 

And, as his springing steps advance, 
Catch war and vengeance from the glance, 
And when the cannon mouthing cloud 
Heaves in wild wreaths the battle shroud, 
And glory sabres rise and fall, 

Like shoots of flame on midnight pall; 





u 


Old Glory 


There shall thy meter-glances glow, 

And cowering foes shall shrink (beneath 
Each gallant arm that strikes below 
The lovely messenger of death. 

Flag of the seas: On ocean wave 
Thy stars shall glitter o’er the brave; 
When death, careering on the gale, 
Sweeps darkly round the bellied sail, 

And frighted waves rush wildly back 
Before the broadside’s reeling rack, 

Each dying wanderer of the sea, 

Shall look at once to heaven and thee, 
And smile to see thy splendors fly, 

In triumph o’er his closing eye. 

Flag o’f the free heart’s hope and home, 
By angel hands to valor given; 

The stars have lit the welking dome 
And all thy hues were born i'n heaven 
As fixed as yonder orb divine, 

That saw thy bannered blaze unfurled, 
Shall thy proud stars resplendent shine, 
The guard and glory oif the world. 

—Joseph Rodman Drake. 







library of congress 



TRIBUNE PRINTING! CO., CHARLESTON, .W. VA 






































































